Mortar spreader



E. BREWER 3,545,159

MORTAR SPREADER Dec. 8, 1970 Filed July 23, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 v 66 a0 26 24 d Fig.1 0 26 v 50 I6 5 36 36 Max E. Brewer 33 l6 38 22 INVIJ'N'IOK.

20 20 BY i 64 Dec. 8, 1970 BREWER 3,545,159

' MORTAR SPREADER Filed July 25, 1968 v 2 sheets-she t 2 Fig .4 34 30 26 26 g 5. 48 Max E. Brewer IN VENTOK.

I W Allomqys United States Patent 3,545,159 MORTAR SPREADER Max E. Brewer, 10226 Don Pico Road, Spring Valley, Calif. 92077 Filed July 23, 1968, Ser. No. 746,925 Int. Cl. E04g 21/20 US. Cl. 52-749 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE When using brick or block to build walls of structures the most time-consuming step in the building process is the buttering of the previous course of brick or block in order to lay the ensuing course. Normally, a distance equivalent to one or two blocks is buttered on the previous course and each block is then lifted and placed in position on the previous course of the wall. Subsequently, mortar spreaders have been developed to lay mortar on the previous course of brick or block, but have proven to be complicated and therefore difficult to maintain, or they were not adaptable to all types of brick or block. Commonly, the mortar spreader had a large hopper which had wheels to roll along the previous course of the wall. Oftentimes the rollers did not adapt themselves to the type of brick or block being used and the large hoppers required agitation therein to get the mortar to flow through the device and be deposited on the previous course of the wall, and the mortar spreading operation had to be performed expeditiously to prevent the mortar setting up in the spreader itself. Also, the complicated mechanism of the agitator and apparatus connected therewith required careful cleaning which was time-consuming due to the number of parts involved. Also, with the advent of the jig to align the bricks or blocks on the previous course of a wall the old mortar spreader devices were not suitable as they did not leave a clean edge along both sides of the brick or block upon which to place the jig.

The instant invention relates to a mortar spreader that allows two evenly distributed ribbons of mortar to be placed along the edge of a previously laid course of brick or block. The two ribbons of mortar are spaced inside the edge of the brick or block to provide a clean edge upon which to place a jig for brick or block. This allows the mortar spreader to be used in conjunction with the jig and thereby greatly reduce the labor involved in constructing such a wall. The device comprises only two parts, one part placed on the previous course of the wall, and the second part containing just enough mortar to produce two ribbons of mortar the length of the first member. Thus, a large batch of mortar is not carried by the device, and there are no intricate moving parts upon which the mortar may collect and harden. The entire device is simple to construct out of sheet metal, therefore having all planar surfaces, and is easy to clean and maintain. The simplicity of operation of the device allows it to be used with great rapidity without affecting the quality of the product.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a simple but unique mortar spreader.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a mortar spreader that can be used in conjunction with a jig for placing bricks or blocks.

Patented Dec. 8, 1970 It is a further object of this invention to provide a mortar spreader that comprises only two parts.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a mortar spreader that in its construction comprises only planar surfaces which are easy to clean and maintain.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a mortar spreader with a simple hopper that does not require any type of mechanical agitation device to induce the flow of the mortar onto the block.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the mortar spreader with the hopper in its final position.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the mortar spreader base.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 44 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of the mortar hopper moved partially along the mortar spreader base.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 6-6 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the mortar hopper.

Referring now to the drawings, numeral 10 refers to the mortar spreader while numeral 12 indicates the mortar spreader base assembly and 14 indicates the mortar hopper assembly. The base assembly has two main longitudinal beams 16 which have a generally box-shaped cross-sectional area 18 and a depending leg on the outside edge thereof 20. The depending legs 20 of the longitudinal beams 16 are spaced to lay along the outside of the previous course of brick or block on the wall, while the lower horizontal surface of the box-shaped portion 18 is adapted to lay on top of the previous course of the wall. Since the lower horizontal section of the box lies on top of the previous course of brick, this leaves a clear strip 22 thereon when the mortar has been spread and the device removed, on which may be placed a jig to align the next course of brick or block. The beams 16 are held in the aforesaid spaced parallel relationship by end plate assemblies 24 to which the beams are attached. The end plate assembly 24 comprises a vertical extending plate 26 which is held spaced from the top horizontal section of the beam 16 by two vertically depending leg portions 28 which are fixed to the side of the beam 1-6 along the vertical side of base 12 and depending leg portion 20 thereof. A horizontally extending top plate 30 is connected to the top edge of the side plates 28 and the top horizontal edge of the plate 26 thereby providing a rigid box-like reinforcement for the base member as well as holding the beams 16 in spaced relation.

A mortar hopper guide 32 is attached between the end plate assembling 24 to the vertical extending plate 26 thereof. The mortar hopper guide has two angled sides 34 whose apex is at the center and top of the vertically extending plate 26, with the apex thereof abutting and fixed to the underside of the horizontal plate 30. Thus, by having the ends of the sides 34 fixed, as by welding, to the end plates 26, and having the top seam or apex of it welded to the horizontal plate 30, a rigid support therefor is provided. The angled sides 34 of the guide extend below the lower edge of the vertically extending plate 26 and terminate at a point adjacent the upper inside corner of the beam 16. At this lower edge of the angled sides is attached a vertically depending side wall 36 which is substantially parallel to the inside vertical surface of beam 16. The vertically extending walls 36 have an inturned edge 38 to provide a smooth edge to engage the motor as it slides therethrough. At this point, it should be noted, that the inside vertical surface of the beam 16 is angled slightly outwardly from top to bottom and the vertically depending side wall 36 is oppositely angled inwardly from top to bottom thereby providing a motor channel which is narrower at the top of the relatively parallel members and wider at the bottom so as to provide for easy removal of the base when the mortar has been set onto the previous course of the wall. As can be seen, the base is an integral structurally rigid member due to the longitudinally extending means and hopper guide, 16 and 32 respectively, being attached to the box-shaped end sections 24. To provide an ease of movement of the base member along the wall, a handle assembly 40 is attached to one of the end plate assemblies 24. The handle assembly is of the type wherein two plates 42 are attached at one end to the side plates 28 of the end plate assemblies and the free ends thereof have holes therein to receive a dowel-type handle 44.

The hopper assembly 14 has two longitudinal vertically extending sides 46 with perpendicularly extending bottom flanges 48 adapted to rest and ride along the top surface of the beam 16. Hopper end plates 50 are attached between the longitudinal sides 46 to hold them in proper spaced relation so that the perpendicular flanges 48 align on the top of the aforesaid beam members 16. The end plates 50 have a triangular cut-out 52 therein which conforms to the triangular shape of the hopper guide 32 so that the side plates 46, end plates 50 and the surface of the guide 32 therebetween determine the mortar hopper capacity. A pair of mortar depth adjusters 54 are mounted on either side of the mortar hopper to extend into the mortar channel and permit the device to lay a ribbon of mortar along the previous course of the wall to whatever depth desired. The mortar depth adjuster has a main side plate 56- which extends along the side 46 of the hopper with two vertically inward extending plates 58 that progress inwardly along the hopper end plate 50 to the width of the mortar channel between the vertitcal side of the beam 16 and the vertically depending side 36 of the hopper guide. The side plates 58 extend at their lower edge down beyond the lower edge of the main side plate 56. The depth guide 54 is attached to the hopper by means of two vertically extending slots 60 opening through the main side plates 56 which cooperate with screws or rivets 62 which extend therethrough and are fixed to the longitudinal sides 46 of the hopper. Thus the depth guide can be moved vertically relative to the hopper guide and extend the lower edge of the plates 58 into the mortar channel. The depth guide has a lower limit when the lower edge of the side plate 56 engages the perpendicular flange of the longitudinal side plate 46 of the hopper.

In operation, a mortar spreader is chosen for use with the width between the depending legs 20 of the longitudinal beams 16 equivalent to the Width of the building unit to be used in the construction. The first course of the wall is usually laid by hand on the foundation. With this completed the mortar spreader base is then set on top of this first course with the building unit 64 extending between the aforesaid legs 20 and the lower edge of the beam 16 resting on the outside corner of the unit. With the base thus in place the mortar hopper is placed on the base with the triangular cut-out 52 coinciding with the hopper guide 32 and placed at one end thereof. Mortar 65 is then troweled into the hopper to a reasonable depth such as is shown in FIGS. and 6. With the mortar depth guide 54 set at the proper depth so as to leave a ribbon of mortar 66 between the lower edge thereof and the top of the building unit 64, the mortar hopper is then pushed from one end of the base to the other leaving the two equal ribbons of mortar 66 along the top edge of the building units. Since the lower horizontal surface of the beam 16 has overlaid the outside corner of the building unit, when the spreader base is advanced to the next position, wherein the one end of the base overlays the end of the ribbon previously laid, a clean strip 2 2 will be left thereon to accommodate any one of the well-known building unit jigs as for example the device shown in US. Pat. No. 3,030,738. With the mortar base thus advanced to the next position along the previous course of the wall laid, mortar will again be troweled into the mortar hopper and it will be advanced along the length of the hopper base again laying the two ribbons of mor tar thereon. It can thus be seen that the device disclosed herein lends itself to rapid movement along the wall without fear of the parts becoming clogged or the amount of mortar stored in the hopper too cumbersome for easy movement thereof. It should be readily apparent that the design of the base assembly with the mortar channel 66 formed by the vertical side of beam 16 and depending side 36 of the guide member could be utilized with any convenient means of distributing mortar therealong. The base would thus be usable with any such convenient means, such as a trowel, shovel or the chute from a mixing device. It should also be noted that all of the surfaces of the device are planar thereby leaving no crevices or corners that could collect mortar to harden thereon. Also, it can be easily washed dot/3n with a hose to prepare it for storage until next use The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A mortar spreader unit, comprising: a base assembly for alignment along a course of building blocks, and means associated with said base assembly to distribute mortar therealong, said means comprising a hopper assembly with means therein to distribute two ribbons of mortar therealong, the base assembly having two longitudinal beams each having a first and second portion with the first portions thereof lying along the outside vertical surfaces of the course of blocks and the second portions thereof lying on top of the outside edges of the outside edges of the horizontal surfaces of the courses of blocks, said base assembly having a guide extending longitudinally along and spaced between said beams and having first and second sections, wherein said first section forms a guide track for the hopper assembly, and the second section extends parallel to each of the second portions of the beams to provide a channel for the ribbons of mortar.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said hopper assembly has longitudinal sides to guide along the second portion of the beams, and ends thereon to cooperate with said guide track and together with said longitudinal sides comprise a container for the mortar.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein said hopper assembly has vertically adjustable means thereon that extend into said channel for the mortar to provide adjustment for the depth of the two ribbons of mortar.

4. A mortar spreader unit, comprising; a base assembly for alignment along a course of building blocks, said base assembly including means to distribute introduced mortar in two ribbons therealong and on the course of blocks, said means including a pair of laterally spaced beam-like members extending longitudinally along said assembly and resting on the top of said course vof blocks and a guide member between said beams with a surface spaced parallel from each beam-like member to distribute introduced mortar therebetween along the course of blocks.

5. A mortar spreader unit, comprising: a base assembly for alignment along a course of building blocks, and means associated with said base assembly to distribute mortar therealong, said means comprising an independent hopper assembly guided by and movable along and relative to said base assembly, said base assembly and said hopper assembly each including means cooperating with each other for efiecting a distribution of two spaced parallel ribbons of mortar along said base assembly and the course of block.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein the base assembly has two full length longitudinal side beams each having a full length first and second portion with the first portions thereof lying along the outside vertical surfaces of the course of blocks and the second portions thereof lying on top of and covering the outside edges of the horizontal surfaces of the course of blocks along the length of the base assembly for the exclusion of mortar therefrom as the hopper assembly is moved therealong.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,639,608 5/ 1953 Kirschmann 52749 2,683,981 7/1954 Richey 401193X 2,940,298 6/ 1960 Joseph 52749 3,030,738 7 4/1962 Brewer et al. 52749 3,162,886 12/1964 Wise 401193X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,096,113 12/1954 France 401-193 PRICE C. FAW, JR., Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

